ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Director General Irfan Naeem Mangi, who was one of the six members of the Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT), met judges of the accountability court on Thursday.

Mr Mangi met accountability judges Mohammad Bas­hir and Mohammad Arshad Malik in their chambers and also visited the room allocated to the NAB pro­secution inside the Fed­eral Judicial Complex (FJC).

Mr Mangi was director general of Balochistan NAB when he was included in the six-member JIT constituted by the Supreme Court to probe allegations of corruption against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his children. He was then posted to the Rawalpindi NAB directorate and was directly monitoring the progress in cases against the Sharif family.

While leaving the courtroom, Mr Mangi ran into the crew of a private television channel. A journalist asked him whether he discussed anything about references against the Sharif family, the NAB director general said he did not talk about the references since his visit was related to some administrative issues.

A spokesman for NAB said: “We are in process of shifting NAB/Rawalpindi offices hence inspection of office of prosecutors in accountability courts was conducted today to provide proper furniture, store facilities and ACs as demanded by them.”

NAB had filed three references against Mr Sharif and his children in the accountability court in September last year.

Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir had on July 6 this year convicted the former prime minister, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law retired Capt Mohammad Safdar in the Avenfield properties reference and sentenced them to 10 years, seven years and one year in prison, respectively.

The Islamabad High Court recently suspended the sentences awarded by Judge Bashir and ordered their release from jail on bail.

Accountability Judge Arshad Malik is currently hearing Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references against Mr Sharif.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2018